BARREL Daily Update Jan 31st 2014

Hi all, 

There was a large(ish) flare that occurred right as the lunar transit ended. It also happened to produce an asymmetric halo CME which we should see a glancing blow on Feb 2nd. This flare came from our favorite sunspot 1967. 

If you look at the wind maps you can see that they are becoming a bit more chaotic. 2L has taken an interesting path and may start going around Antarctica again. 

Ground Weather:

SANAE IV: 

Temp.: -10. C

Wind speed: 6 knots

Halley 6: 

Temp.: -7.2 C

Wind speed: 15 knots 

Payloads up: 

SANAE IV: 2A, 2B, 2E

Halley 6:  2L, 2O, 2P

Payloads coming down:

Collection times for EFW:  

2013-01-06 (A just to West, B quite a ways to West)

A: 15:40-21:30   (6h 10m)

B: 17:30-19:30  (2h)

20:30-23:00 (2h 30m)

2013-01-07 (A quite west, B very west of stations)

A: 19:00-21:00  (2h)

22:30-23:59  (1h 30m)

B: 20:45-21:45  (1h)

00:45Jan8-02:00Jan8  (2h 15m)

2013-01-09  (A just to West, B quite a ways to West)

A: 15:15-21:15 (at 16k)  (6h)      

B: 17:30-20:30 (at 16k)  (3h)

     20:33-24:00 (at 4k)   (3.5hrs)

2013-01-10 (west of stations)

A: 18:00-01:00(jan11)

B: 20:00-03:00(jan11)

2013-01-11

B: 14:45-21:00

2013-01-12

A: 14:40-21:30

B: 17:00-24:00

2014-01-15

 A: 14:30-21:30

2014-01-22

A: 2014-01-22/17:15 - 23:59:59

2014-01-23

B: 2014-01-23/15:00 - 22:00

2014-01-28

A: 19:30 - 23:59

2014:01-29

B: 17:20 - 22:30

2014-01-30

A: 13:40 - 20:40

2014-01-31

A: 16:40 - 23:40 

B: 12:30 - 19:30

Halley Bay Search Coil Magnetometer :

very quiet

GOES Electron Flux:

The electron levels have stayed at moderate levels.

GOES Proton Flux:

The proton levels are at moderate levels. 

Space Weather from Spaceweather.com and SWPC.noaa.gov 

Solar wind speed: 331.4 km/s 

Solar proton density: 0.8 cm^(-3)  

Sun spot number: 112

NOAA has the likelihood of a M class flare at 60% and a 10% chance of an X class flare.  

There are currently no coronal holes observed on the Earthward side of the Sun. 

Kp is quiet 

kp =1 with a 24 max of kp = 1

Bz = 0.2 south

Btotal = 5.1 nT  

From Kyoto:

AE: some small activity

Dst: quiet.

From the ice: While the rest of us have freezing cold Weather...

The guys from the ice sent us a nice post card... It reminds me of growing up in WI. 

From Robyn, "Day after day, the sky has been white here lately. When the rest of your surroundings are also white, it can be a bit dull and dreary. Today, the sun came out finally, and we made the most of it! The clouds rolled in by the time we took the picture but it was quite lovely. With no wind, -7C doesn't feel too bad!"

To be fair, -7 C is 19 F. It's still pretty cold.

BARREL Daily Update Jan 30 2014

Hi all, 

2P was launched today from Halley. We're hoping that we'll have another launch from SANAE soon. 2P is our 15th launch for the campaign (not including 2Z and 2J which were recovered shortly after their launches). We hope to have 5 more launched this year.

Our faithful sunspot 1967 has become more complex gaining a delta configuration. Delta configurations are the ones that we want, they tend to produce the larger flares and CMES. Now lets just hope that it holds off on erupting until it becomes geo-effective. It has also been spouting off some C and M class flares. 

There was a CME from the other side of the sun, but this appears that very little of the CME is likely to graze us. NOAA is not increasing the likely hood of geomagnetic activity from this event yet. 

There are three other numbered sunspots regions on the disk besides these two active ones. They are all stable or decaying, so lets hope for more decay and possibly more active regions! 

Ground Weather:

SANAE IV: 

Temp.: -10. C

Wind speed: 3 knots

Halley 6: 

Temp.: -11.9 C

Wind speed: 1 knots 

Payloads up: 

SANAE IV: 2A, 2B

Halley 6:  2L, 2O, 2P

Payloads coming down:

Collection times for EFW:  

2013-01-06 (A just to West, B quite a ways to West)

A: 15:40-21:30   (6h 10m)

B: 17:30-19:30  (2h)

20:30-23:00 (2h 30m)

2013-01-07 (A quite west, B very west of stations)

A: 19:00-21:00  (2h)

22:30-23:59  (1h 30m)

B: 20:45-21:45  (1h)

00:45Jan8-02:00Jan8  (2h 15m)

2013-01-09  (A just to West, B quite a ways to West)

A: 15:15-21:15 (at 16k)  (6h)      

B: 17:30-20:30 (at 16k)  (3h)

     20:33-24:00 (at 4k)   (3.5hrs)

2013-01-10 (west of stations)

A: 18:00-01:00(jan11)

B: 20:00-03:00(jan11)

2013-01-11

B: 14:45-21:00

2013-01-12

A: 14:40-21:30

B: 17:00-24:00

2014-01-15

 A: 14:30-21:30

2014-01-22

A: 2014-01-22/17:15 - 23:59:59

2014-01-23

B: 2014-01-23/15:00 - 22:00

2014-01-28

A: 19:30 - 23:59

2014:01-29

B: 17:20 - 22:30

2014-01-30

A: 13:40 - 20:40

2014-01-31

A: 16:40 - 23:40 

B: 12:30 - 19:30

Halley Bay Search Coil Magnetometer :

Some broad band activity this morning, but no EMIC waves

GOES Electron Flux:

The electron levels have stayed at moderate levels.

GOES Proton Flux:

The proton levels are at moderate levels. 

Space Weather from Spaceweather.com and SWPC.noaa.gov 

Solar wind speed: 362.0 km/s 

Solar proton density: 0.9 cm^(-3)  

Sun spot number: 96

NOAA has the likelihood of a M class flare at 60% and a 10% chance of an X class flare.  

There are currently no coronal holes observed on the Earthward side of the Sun. 

Kp is quiet 

kp =0 with a 24 max of kp = 3

Bz = 1.3 north

Btotal = 4.7 nT  

From Kyoto:

AE: some small activity

Dst: quiet... but today it has reached -18 nT. I know nothing right? better than yesterday... Hopefully this trend will continue and pick up the pace.  

BARREL Daily Update Jan 29th 2014

Hi all, 

2D was terminated last night. It was a slow leaker. Some activity in the AE index and lots of flares over the last few days from sunspot 1967. Let's hope it keeps going!

Ground Weather:
SANAE IV: 
Temp.: -10. C
Wind speed: 9

Halley 6: 
Temp.: -10.1 C
Wind speed: 14 knots 

Payloads up: 
SANAE IV: 2A, 2B, 2C
Halley 6:  2L, 2O

Payloads coming down:
2D


Collection times for EFW:  
2013-01-06 (A just to West, B quite a ways to West)
A: 15:40-21:30   (6h 10m)
B: 17:30-19:30  (2h)

20:30-23:00 (2h 30m)

2013-01-07 (A quite west, B very west of stations)
A: 19:00-21:00  (2h)

22:30-23:59  (1h 30m)

B: 20:45-21:45  (1h)
00:45Jan8-02:00Jan8  (2h 15m)

2013-01-09  (A just to West, B quite a ways to West)

A: 15:15-21:15 (at 16k)  (6h)      

B: 17:30-20:30 (at 16k)  (3h)

     20:33-24:00 (at 4k)   (3.5hrs)

2013-01-10 (west of stations)

A: 18:00-01:00(jan11)

B: 20:00-03:00(jan11)

2013-01-11

B: 14:45-21:00

2013-01-12

A: 14:40-21:30

B: 17:00-24:00

2014-01-15

 A: 14:30-21:30

2014-01-22

A: 2014-01-22/17:15 - 23:59:59

2014-01-23

B: 2014-01-23/15:00 - 22:00

2014-01-28

A: 19:30 - 23:59

Halley Bay Search Coil Magnetometer :
Some faint ones yesterday afternoon.

GOES Electron Flux:
The electron levels have stayed at moderate levels.

GOES Proton Flux:
The proton levels are at moderate levels. 

Space Weather from Spaceweather.com and SWPC.noaa.gov 
Solar wind speed: 492.4 km/s 
Solar proton density: 0.1 cm^(-3)  

Sun spot number: 70
NOAA has the likelihood of a M class flare at 60% and a 10% chance of an X class flare.  

There are currently no coronal holes observed on the Earthward side of the Sun. 

Kp is quiet 
kp =2 with a 24 max of kp = 2

Bz = 4.3 south
Btotal = 5.3 nT  

From Kyoto:
AE: some small activity

Dst: quiet... but today it has reached -16 nT. I know nothing right? but we have very few days where it's been this low, so that's something. 

BARREL Daily Update Jan 28th 2014

Hi all, 

Sun spot 1944 is producing lots of M class flares and our balloons saw more than a few. It has also been given a new name, 1967. It appears to have decayed from what it was on the last rotation, but it's still quiet active. 

Halley is hoping to have a launch today or tomorrow. This would give us once again an array of 7 balloons. Hopefully we'll have some activity for them to see. Tomorrow is suppose to be more active than today and the 30th has an even better chance for activity. It looks like NOAA is thinking that the 30th will have a growing chance of substorm activity over the next three days. I think we should try to grab a good conjunction on at least the 30th. If this keeps going, we're going to have to work over the weekend :). 

You can see that the winds are changing. 2L looks to be starting to cut down the middle of the continent, like 1I did last year, instead of continuing around the continent like 2I or 2T this year. If you remember, this was close to the time period when we had 1G sitting almost stationary for a period of days right underneath one of the GOES footprints. Perhaps we'll get lucky again this year with a similar extended conjunction. 

Ground Weather:

SANAE IV: 

Temp.: -10. C

Wind speed: 9

Halley 6: 

Temp.: -7.6 C

Wind speed: 9 knots 

Payloads up: 

SANAE IV: 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D

Halley 6:  2L, 2O

Payloads coming down:

none at the moment. 

Collection times for EFW:  

2013-01-06 (A just to West, B quite a ways to West)

A: 15:40-21:30   (6h 10m)

B: 17:30-19:30  (2h)

20:30-23:00 (2h 30m)

2013-01-07 (A quite west, B very west of stations)

A: 19:00-21:00  (2h)

22:30-23:59  (1h 30m)

B: 20:45-21:45  (1h)

00:45Jan8-02:00Jan8  (2h 15m)

2013-01-09  (A just to West, B quite a ways to West)

A: 15:15-21:15 (at 16k)  (6h)      

B: 17:30-20:30 (at 16k)  (3h)

     20:33-24:00 (at 4k)   (3.5hrs)

2013-01-10 (west of stations)

A: 18:00-01:00(jan11)

B: 20:00-03:00(jan11)

2013-01-11

B: 14:45-21:00

2013-01-12

A: 14:40-21:30

B: 17:00-24:00

2014-01-15

 A: 14:30-21:30

2014-01-22

A: 2014-01-22/17:15 - 23:59:59

2014-01-23

B: 2014-01-23/15:00 - 22:00

Halley Bay Search Coil Magnetometer :

Nice EMIC waves last night and a faint one this morning.  

GOES Electron Flux:

The electron levels have stayed at moderate levels.

GOES Proton Flux:

The proton levels are at moderate levels. 

Space Weather from Spaceweather.com and SWPC.noaa.gov 

Solar wind speed: 352.8 km/s 

Solar proton density: 1.7 cm^(-3)  

Sun spot number: 62

NOAA has the likelihood of a M class flare at 50% and a 5% chance of an X class flare.  

There are currently no coronal holes observed on the Earthward side of the Sun. 

Kp is quiet 

kp =1 with a 24 max of kp = 2

Bz = 0.5 south

Btotal = 9.6 nT  

From Kyoto:

AE: quiet

Dst: quiet

BARREL Daily Update Jan 27th 2014

Hi all, 

Yesterday Halley launched 2O and SANAE launched 2D today. On another note, as we haven't been able to reconnect with 2C it is likely that it has self terminated or is terminating very shortly.

If you haven't checked out Aaron's e-mail, with this new increase, we've been able to get rid of almost all the backlog of burst data! So, if you had a time period that you were interested in, but perhaps figured wasn't as interesting as some other things in the cue... Speak up! We may be able to grab it before we overwrite. Also thanks to the EFW and EMFISIS teams in particular and the whole Van Allen team in general for getting this to work!

Sunspots 1944 and 1946 are still peaking their way around and appear to still be active! There was also a small CME which may give us a glancing blow on Jan 29th. The ENLIL models though only show a very very slight increase in density and nothing really in SW velocity. If we aren't in trouble with over writing important stuff, perhaps we should grab some burst data during this time, but I don't think it should be a high priority. There may be better stuff coming with the reappearance of these two sunspot regions, so something to keep in mind. Also If you remember there was a larger geo-effective coronal hole right after these sunspot regions. From the pictures of the backside of the sun, it looks like this will also make a reappearance. This coronal hole had SW velocities > 800 km/s, but northward Bz. Hopefully we'll be able to see some more amazing geomagnetic activity from both the sunspots and this coronal hole in a week or so's time.

Ground Weather:
SANAE IV: 
Temp.: -6. C
Wind speed: 12

Halley 6: 
Temp.: -5.8 C
Wind speed: 8 knots 

Payloads up: 
SANAE IV: 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D
Halley 6:  2L, 2O

Payloads coming down:
2C

Collection times for EFW:  
2013-01-06 (A just to West, B quite a ways to West)
A: 15:40-21:30   (6h 10m)
B: 17:30-19:30  (2h)

20:30-23:00 (2h 30m)

2013-01-07 (A quite west, B very west of stations)
A: 19:00-21:00  (2h)

22:30-23:59  (1h 30m)

B: 20:45-21:45  (1h)
00:45Jan8-02:00Jan8  (2h 15m)

2013-01-09  (A just to West, B quite a ways to West)

A: 15:15-21:15 (at 16k)  (6h)      

B: 17:30-20:30 (at 16k)  (3h)

     20:33-24:00 (at 4k)   (3.5hrs)

2013-01-10 (west of stations)

A: 18:00-01:00(jan11)

B: 20:00-03:00(jan11)

2013-01-11

B: 14:45-21:00

2013-01-12

A: 14:40-21:30

B: 17:00-24:00

2014-01-15

 A: 14:30-21:30

2014-01-22

A: 2014-01-22/17:15 - 23:59:59

2014-01-23

B: 2014-01-23/15:00 - 22:00

Halley Bay Search Coil Magnetometer :
EMIC waves last night.

GOES Electron Flux:
The electron levels have stayed at moderate levels.

GOES Proton Flux:
The proton levels are at moderate levels. 

Space Weather from Spaceweather.com and SWPC.noaa.gov 
Solar wind speed: 328.2 km/s 
Solar proton density: 1.8 cm^(-3)  

Sun spot number: 109
NOAA has the likelihood of a M class flare at 20% and a 1% chance of an X class flare.  

There are currently no coronal holes observed on the Earthward side of the Sun. 

Kp is quiet 
kp =0 with a 24 max of kp = 2

Bz = 0.7 south
Btotal = 5.2 nT  

From Kyoto:
AE: quiet

Dst: quiet

BARREL Daily Update: Jan 26th 2014

Hi all, 

We're hoping that Halley will have a launch today. Payload 2O is out on the flight line so hopefully in a few hours we'll have it up on one of the socs! There has also been a slight up tick in geomagnetic activity. We had some substorms over the night and we even had the Dst down to -28nT. Okay, sure, that isn't much, but the last time Dst was that low was back on Jan 1st. 

The sunspot region which produced the X-class flare is not back on the Earthward facing side of the sun and could potentially be geo-effective by Jan 29th. We are now seeing C-class flares (they go B, C, M, X in rising order) which is nice after a day or two of only B-class flares. Perhaps we'll have a large event by the end of the week. Fingers crossed!

Ground Weather:

SANAE IV: 

Temp.: -6. C

Wind speed: 12

Halley 6: 

Temp.: -5.8 C

Wind speed: 8 knots 

Payloads up: 

SANAE IV: 2A, 2B, 2C

Halley 6:  2L,

Payloads coming down:

2C? 

Collection times for EFW:  

2013-01-06 (A just to West, B quite a ways to West)

A: 15:40-21:30   (6h 10m)

B: 17:30-19:30  (2h)

20:30-23:00 (2h 30m)

2013-01-07 (A quite west, B very west of stations)

A: 19:00-21:00  (2h)

22:30-23:59  (1h 30m)

B: 20:45-21:45  (1h)

00:45Jan8-02:00Jan8  (2h 15m)

2013-01-09  (A just to West, B quite a ways to West)

A: 15:15-21:15 (at 16k)  (6h)      

B: 17:30-20:30 (at 16k)  (3h)

     20:33-24:00 (at 4k)   (3.5hrs)

2013-01-10 (west of stations)

A: 18:00-01:00(jan11)

B: 20:00-03:00(jan11)

2013-01-11

B: 14:45-21:00

2013-01-12

A: 14:40-21:30

B: 17:00-24:00

2014-01-15

 A: 14:30-21:30

2014-01-22

A: 2014-01-22/17:15 - 23:59:59

2014-01-23

B: 2014-01-23/15:00 - 22:00

Halley Bay Search Coil Magnetometer :

quiet. Possibly a small EMIC wave just before midnight on Jan 25th

GOES Electron Flux:

The electron levels have stayed at moderate levels.

GOES Proton Flux:

The proton levels are at moderate levels. 

Space Weather from Spaceweather.com and SWPC.noaa.gov 

Solar wind speed: 380.2 km/s 

Solar proton density: 2.0 cm^(-3)  

Sun spot number: 102

NOAA has the likelihood of a M class flare at 20% and a 1% chance of an X class flare.  

There are currently no coronal holes observed on the Earthward side of the Sun. 

Kp is quiet 

kp =0 with a 24 max of kp = 3

Bz = 3.3 south

Btotal = 4.2 nT  

From Kyoto:

AE: Substorms late last night and early this morning. 

Dst: quiet, but more disturbed than most of what we have seen this campaign.